The present invention relates to a method for wireless-type power supply by light from a distant location, and particularly, to a method for supplying a high-voltage power to an energy transducer such as a micromachine by irradiating the transducer with light.
With recent progress in semiconductor manufacturing techniques and the like, research-and-development as well as proposals of prototypes of various micromachines (also named as xe2x80x9cMicro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) or Micro System Technology (MST) have been actively performed. Such systems have numerous functions and elements which are each integrated despite of the miniaturization of the size thereof, and find complicated and high-technique applications. Under such circumstances, in order to put micromachines to practical use, an energy supply method and effective power supply means for an actuating portion (actuator) constitute important elements for development.
In particular, when the dimension of a micromachine relative to that of a human operator becomes significantly small, conventional power supply methods using a wire become disadvantageous. Specifically, the dimension of the wire relative to that of the micromachine body becomes large, and thereby, not only the actuation for the micromachine causes a problem, but also the weight of peripheral portions and the friction occurring therebetween come to have an influence such as not to be neglected. In addition, there may be cases where directions of actions of the micromachine and the actuation range thereof are subjected to limitations, depending on the stiffness and the length of the wire.
One method for wireless-type power supply for a micromachine from a distant location, is light-based one. In this supply method, as an energy source, an electromagnetic wave such as light beam, a microwave, a sound wave, or the like is used, while as a receiver, a solar cell constituted of amorphous silicon, a silicon single crystal, or the like is used. Proposals have been made not only of a stationary-type and a battery-equipped self-traveling type micromachines, but also of a battery-unequipped type micromachine.
Wireless-type power supply systems comprise (1) solar light and a solar cell, (2) a microwave and a light-receiving element. On the other hand, as wire-type power supply methods, there have been numerous proposals of electrical methods, magnetic methods, and the like. FIGS. 5A and 5B are bock diagrams showing self-traveling (wireless type) power supply systems, and FIG. 5C is a block diagram showing a stationary (wire type) power supply system.
The control system also serves as an energy source, and the micromachine body is not equipped with an energy source. This relation can be seen from FIGS. 5A and 5B. The micromachine body has an energy receiving function, an energy conversion function, and an energy output function. However, these functions are performed by a single functional element, but not by a device as a system. As an actuator, an actuating mechanism such as an electrostatic actuator is used.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent application Publication No. 4-241004 proposes a concept that solar light and a solar cell are used as an energy source and a receiver, respectively, and Japanese Unexamined Patent application Publication No. 6-46539 discloses that light beams, a microwave, and a sound wave are used as an energy supply system, and that an amorphous solar cell as a photovoltaic element, a monolithic microwave IC, and a piezoelectric material are each employed as a receiver for energy source.
The electric power generation by a solar battery has already been put into actual use for objects which have a large size, such as a space structure. However, since the solar cell as a unit only generates about 1 volt or below, and incapable of generating a high voltage, it is necessary to integrate solar cells by connecting them in series. However, this causes a cost rise and incurs the complication of a device system to be produced.
Techniques of transmitting energy to an intra-pipe actuator by means of microwave transmission have already been devised. In these techniques, however, for the case of a microwave, the propagation mode suited to the energy transmission is limited to a predetermined mode (TEn), so that the frequency range is restricted corresponding to the intra-pipe dimensions. In addition, it has been pointed out that these techniques involve problems in that they cannot be applied to the spaces in open systems and pipes having locally different dimensions. A little more improvement would be required, in order to bring up these techniques to the practical application stage.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless-type power supply method that is fundamentally applied to the case where an object to which energy is to be transmitted, is relatively small, and that allows high-voltage electrical energy to be transmitted without using a wire.
It is another specific object to provide a wireless-type power supply method effective in applying to the energy supply to portable electronic equipment, handy medical diagnosis systems, micromachines in open systems (including micromachines for use in the atmosphere, for use under water, and for use in a vacuum), environmental monitoring micromachines, in-vivo diagnosis monitoring machines, and intra-pipe maintenance machines.
It is still another object to provide a wireless-type power supply method which allows energy transmission from a remote location, and which has the overall system thereof simplified.
It is a further object to provide a wireless-type power supply method allows a high-voltage and low-current output to be achieved, which is suited to the actuating source for an electrostatic actuator.
In order to achieve the above-described objects, the present invention provides a method for wireless-type power supply, which is applied to the case where an object to which energy is to be transmitted, is relatively small. In this method, the optical energy from an light source is converted into high-voltage electrical energy by an energy transducer formed of either a piezoelectric element or a photovoltaic element on the above-described object, and the above-described high-voltage electrical energy is supplied to an actuator.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a thermal excitation light source emitting visible infrared region laser light is used as a light source, and a piezoelectric element generating a thermal strain due to optical absorption is used as an energy transducer. More specifically, for the above-described piezoelectric element, a piezoelectric material constituted of lead zirconate titanate, barium titanate, or lead titanate is used.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a photovoltaic light source laser or an ultraviolet irradiation lamp is used as a light source, and a photovoltaic element generating a photovoltaic effect is used as an energy transducer. More specifically, for the above-described photovoltaic element, a photovoltaic functional material constituted of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate, lithium niobate, or lithium tantalate is used.
In the above-described method in accordance with the present invention, since the electric output is characterized by a high voltage and low current, the electric output is suited to an actuating source for an electrostatic actuator which performs actuation using a high voltage and low current.
Also, by using the bimorph type as the energy transducer, it is possible to resonate the energy transducer to obtain a high-voltage output, and thereby to provide the control over the electrostatic actuator with superior responsivity.
The objects to which relatively small energies are to be transmitted, and which are suited to being subjected to the application of the above-described method in accordance with the present invention, specifically include portable electronic equipment, handy medical diagnosis systems, micromachines in open systems (including micromachines for use in the atmosphere, for use under water, and for use in a vacuum), environmental monitoring micromachines, in-vivo diagnosis monitoring machines, and intra-pipe maintenance machines.
The above-described method in accordance with the present invention is arranged to allow energy transmission from a remote location by using a piezoelectric element or a photovoltaic element, and thereby the overall system thereof is simplified by unifying the structure and function, resulting in a simplified manufacturing, Furthermore, the method in accordance with the present invention allows the application thereof in open systems, and enables the output to be increased by making use of the resonance between the thermo-electromotive force and the photovoltaic force due to light-receiving.
Moreover, since the present invention does not use a device as a solar battery but constitutes a receiver using a ceramic-based single element, a simple system can be realized.